Chamber and committees

Questions and answers

Parliamentary questions can be asked by any MSP to the Scottish Government or the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. The questions provide a means for MSPs to get factual and statistical information.

Written questions must be answered within 10 working days (20 working days during recess)
Other questions such as Topical, Portfolio, General and First Minister's Question Times are taken in the Chamber

Urgent Questions aren't included in the Question and Answers search. There is a SPICe fact sheet listing Urgent and emergency questions.

Find out more about parliamentary questions

Filter your results Hide all filters

Displaying 32 questions Show Answers

Order by |

Question reference: S7W-01750

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the contrast between the three to five written complaints made annually and the safeguarding concerns identified by the Care Inspectorate and the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture, what specific steps it will take to improve children's confidence in the internal complaints system at St Mary's Kenmure.

Question reference: S7W-01752

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 16 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 13 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture report on its June 2025 visit to Scotland, which was published on 2 July 2026, by what date it will implement the outstanding recommendations of this report in relation to children's secure accommodation, and how it will report progress.

Question reference: S7W-01321

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Thursday, 25 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 16 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what action it will take to improve patient safety for children when blood gas testing identifies abnormal results such as significantly raised lactate levels, including whether it will introduce a national patient safety standard requiring abnormal blood gas or blood test results in children to be repeated, verified or formally reviewed before discharge decisions are made where those results have been attributed to sample quality, environmental factors or other concerns about reliability.

Although there is no current specific guideline that requires blood tests with results outside the normal limits to be repeated in all cases before discharge from hospital, these are considered as part of a full clinical assessment.

Healthcare Improvement Scotland’s Scottish Patient Safety Programme (SPSP) Perinatal and Paediatric programmes, underpinned by the SPSP Essentials of Safe Care, are co-designed to support improved outcomes for women, babies, children, young people and families in Scotland. These programmes work with staff and families to review and strengthen the approach to recognition of deterioration through the Scottish Maternity and Paediatric Early Warning Scores (MEWS and PEWS).

The planned implementation of Martha’s Rule will enable a real-time clinical review of a patient’s treatment and condition, rather than a formal second opinion or diagnosis.

The right to request a second opinion is already enshrined in the Charter of Patient Rights and Responsibilities.

The Scottish Government and Health Boards across Scotland have recently committed to expand the Right Decision Service across health and care in Scotland. This will bring up to date, quality assured and approved guidance to clinicians on their computers, tablet and phones.

The Scottish Government expects NHS Boards and other healthcare providers to use appropriate guidelines and respond to safety alerts as well as listen when patients express concerns or complain about the safety of their care.

Question reference: S7W-01727

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government how many children are currently placed in each of Scotland's four secure accommodation centres on welfare grounds only, and in how many cases such children are accommodated within the same living unit as children detained under criminal justice legislation.

Question reference: S7W-01726

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that a 13-year-old girl accommodated at St Mary's Kenmure secure accommodation centre had her request to be transferred away from young male offenders with whom she was placed, denied, for what reason the request was denied and what risk assessment was undertaken in relation to her safety and wellbeing before that decision was made.

Question reference: S7W-01729

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports of the disproportionate use of restraint of girls at St Mary's Kenmure, what the outcome has been of the Care Inspectorate and Mental Welfare Commission's 2025–26 shared visits to secure accommodation centres, and what action, if any, has been taken as a consequence.

Question reference: S7W-01728

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of whether housing girls placed for welfare reasons alongside older male offenders detained under criminal justice legislation is compatible with its obligations under the Equality Act 2010.

Question reference: S7W-01730

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of the Children (Care, Care Experience and Services Planning) (Scotland) Act 2026 and the Restraint and Seclusion in Schools (Scotland) Act 2026 receiving Royal Assent in May 2026, what its timescale is for implementing the provisions of these Acts and for issuing the statutory guidance required to prohibit face-down prone restraint of children in secure accommodation.

Question reference: S7W-01731

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Wednesday, 15 July 2026
Current Status: Answer expected on 12 August 2026

To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that no external review of restraint practices at St Mary's Kenmure has been commissioned, and that the Council of Europe Committee for the Prevention of Torture has requested a copy of any such review, whether it will commission or require an external review to be undertaken.

Question reference: S7W-01257

Asked by: Helen McDade, MSP for Mid Scotland and Fife, Reform UK
Date lodged: Tuesday, 23 June 2026
Current Status: Answered by Angela Constance on 14 July 2026

To ask the Scottish Government what assessment it has made of the potential implications for its policies of the findings from the Royal College of Radiologists' paper, 2025 Clinical Radiology Workforce Census Report, which was published in June 2026 and suggests that there is a 27% workforce shortfall of interventional radiologists across Scotland.

The Scottish Government acknowledges the findings of the Royal College of Radiologists' 2025 Clinical Radiology Workforce Census Report. The findings will be considered as part of ongoing workforce planning processes. Following annual reviews of the number of specialty training places needed to meet anticipated future service demand and consultant need, the Scottish Government has funded the creation of approximately 850 additional posts across multiple specialities since 2014, including in radiology. Over the last ten years we have increased the Consultant Radiologist workforce by 24% (from 325.4 WTE as of March 2016 to 403.8 WTE as of March 2026). Over the last five years, a total of 162 Clinical Radiology specialty training places were advertised for recruitment in Scotland, of which all posts were filled successfully.